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Treadmill test when buying running shoes...
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So, found myself going into a few of the specialist running shops in Manchester and was surprised to be charged 10 pounds at one store for doing a "gait analysis" before buying shoes. If I didnt buy from their store then i'd lost the ten pounds. (I didnt buy incidentally as i had no confidence in the 19 year old sales attendant who only wanted to make a sales pitch).
I then went to Sweatshop and found the assistant there ever so helpful. He was prepared to give me the running shoe make and model if I wanted to find it online to buy, but my loyalty overcame me and I stuck to ordering a pair from them.
I hate being ripped off!
Anyway, just wondered if this being charged is the norm?
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One wonders why they all dont charge then? I think it wasnt just the charge on its own but also I was bothered with the sales pitch and lack of knowledge this 19 year old kid had. The guy at Sweatshop was the total opposite. The fact that he was about to write out the make and model of the running shoes so i could buy online made me think "no", i'll buy in store. Big difference in customer service. The former store should learn something and i went back to tell them as such today!
Many retailers get you to run on the treadmil in shoes as such any analysis is based on how that particular shoe design geometry effects the runners gait. Although you may be able to determine if the runner is overpronating or supinating you can not determine if the rotation is caused by the shoes and accentuated by a treadmill. Running on a commercial treadmill for gait measurement is not wise as the belt is simply to slack to provide accurate information as it does not replicate any natural or unnatural surface you will meet outside.
This is why you do not find commercial treadmills in establishments which offer biometric services.
Next time you get offered gait analysis ask to see certificates of training, if they do not have these, they are offering nothing me than an opinion which you can get with a video camera and you tube.
Thanks Squeakz - I checked youtube lastnight and noted some videos where people have footage of themselves running and asking for comments.
Interesting what you say re. qualifications!
Jim - he made me run in 3 different pairs of trainers. Obviously starting with neutral.. He never did a close up but just said yes you're running fine and how does each running shoe feel. He then did the whole sales pitch. Everytime i mentioned i may have hurt my ankle or lower legs when running he went on about how he injured himself during rugby and had to stop for sometime. Then he did another sales pitch re some physio dude who's got a sports clinic and has a link with the store and here's his details. He even booked an appointment for me with him. I said im busy.
Now, compare the above to the sales assistant at the Sweatshop who talked about running as a science, overpronation, neutral shoes, stability, tracks etc - a LOT of stuff i never knew (i'm no expert runner by any stretch). He showed the comparisons in all footage observed during the gait analysis to explain how my foot was coming down and comparing each shoe with the first. I had some overpronation and that was very evident when footage was shown and slowed down. The assistant at the first shop never even mentioned overpronation!
In any event, i'm not a cheapskate and i'm happy to buy from those who provide good customer service with the knowledge to back up the sale being made. I'd never go to the former store again!
Sadie, I totally agree with you.
I'd be happy to pay for gait analysis to track down and sort out a specific shoe/foot problem and I'd be happy to pay for it if carried out by a properly qualified professional, but I wouldn't pay £10 for it as a non refundable deposit on a pair of shoes. For a start, half decent gait analysis should cost more than that, so I'd wonder what I was actually getting. I'd also wonder what they'd do with my £10 if I had complex shoe requirements and they simply couldn't find a shoe that suited me...
When I first started running I fell victim to extremely bad gait analysis when an assistant at a supposedly excellent specialist running shop in Glasgow fitted me with over-pronation shoes which I totally didn't need. I ended up tearing a calf muscle really badly because of those bloody shoes and the resulting scar tissue still bothers me on and off nearly ten years later...